Annabeth Chase and The Stolen Heart
by ArtemisTruong
Summary: Annabeth Chase reveals her actual story that Rick Riordan has not explained in any of the series. Speaking to Annabeth herself, Artemis Truong, (myself) the young half sister of Percy Jackson, types down every detail of Annabeth's story, and swears not to tell Percy a single word. The story takes place in different times, but focuses on one thing: Annabeth had a boyfriend before PJ
1. Chapter 1

Introduction

Okay, so I haven't explained this before, and the scribe from Camp was _totally _wrong. He wrote two whole series of books that explained our lives. But he replaced some major things. This is what really happened, from my eyes. Luke put the same thing in his diary, too, (prepare for the wet pages) but I want to do it in my own perspective. This is what really happened during my life, and Rick didn't (and should've) put it in the books, which we're translated into Ancient Greek for the dyslexic kids. Gods, don't let this fall into Percy's hands. I swear by the River Styx. So this is my story. With my thoughts. This is basically another version of the books, except it ends right at "The Last Olympian". One of my closest friends, technically my half sister in law, (Percy's young half sister) has sworn not to tell him anything and to just write a story from me explaining it to her, and put it online as a fanfiction. You mortals can't find us. But I assure you, this is real. Artemis both goes to Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter for some reason that I really can't explain, because she is located in California. Oh gods, don't even get me started on her name. It's too freaking cool. I wrote this intro down and the rest is all her. Don't you dare tell Percy or I'll slit your throat and put your remains in a jar of Greek fire. Peace!

-A.C.

Chapter 1

"Well, this is going to be our dinner for tonight," Luke said. He brought out little bags filled with microwavable army rations (Mmm... delicious) from his satchel and began to set up a fire. "Annabeth, Thalia, help yourselves. This is the best meal we've ever gotten." He was right. I was very lucky to meet them. Unfortunately, a family of mortals, especially my _stepmother_, (ugh) didn't understand the fear that a demigod has. So I ran away. Back to the story. Luke found two twigs, and with little effort, put one on top of the other and rubbed his hands together so friction could take over and start a flame.

I took over, willingly. Both Thalia and Luke watched a flame spark right before their eyes, and I saw Luke partially blush. I had to admit, it _was_ kind of cute, since I sort of had a crush on him. Before I ran away from home, I searched the Internet for major survival tips and watched some tutorial videos for survival. When Dad came home, he didn't take the hint, but who cares, anyway?

Thalia took the longest sticks she could find and I sawed them to connect to make a spool. She dug two holes in the ground, stuck the two sticks in, and the longest one on top. Luckily for us, there was enough room for us to put our meals on. After two minutes, (thank the gods) the meals were ready to eat, and my taste buds were pleased enough. For me, it was like a Thanksgiving dinner. I mean, if you're on the run from monsters, there's no stopping at a house and eating a whole meal.

We then done with our meals, but it was awfully quiet, which it usually is. But it was a little bit _too_ quiet for us. I saw both of the looks of suspicion in their eyes, as if they were agreeing with me. Suddenly, there was a faint rustle in a nearby bush, and I took out my celestial bronze dagger, as Thalia pulled out a Mace canister, which was actually a spear with a celestial bronze tip, and Aegis, the Medusa Shield. And for Luke, well, he had a golf club. Not as fierce as I thought it would be, but it's good enough.

A boy, maybe 9, wearing a winter coat, a white t-shirt, and denim jeans, popped out of the bush, and whispered something that I couldn't hear. Thalia and the boy looked somewhat similar. I could see some similarities between them, same punk style, etc. But it couldn't be. He's Asian, Thalia's not, unless Zeus took a body of a hot Asian guy, which should _not_ have been seen as an image in my head. The guy's eyes reflected the sparks from the fire.

"Who are you? Why are you sneaking up on us?" Thalia forcefully asked.

"Come with me. You'll be safe from the monsters. And hurry. I have supplies and food," The boy responded. We stared at him and lowered our weapons. Luke and Thalia both looked at me with a look that said, _Is he lying?_ I shook my head. As the daughter of Athena, you can tell if someone's lying or not. And I _don't_ lie to my family. They knew that. "Well?" The boy said. "Don't just stand there, let's go!" He walked off into the dark alleyway and disappeared into oblivion. We all shrugged and walked in as well.

It felt like a dream, while it was reality. A whole house was where we were in, and the color was just like Olympus. There were four doors lined up against the wall in front of us, and each had a letter on it. XA, XA, TL, TL. "Masterchef right here, guys. What do you want to eat?" Thalia, Luke, and I turned to our left to see what looked like the inside kitchen of a five-star restaurant, with a table connected to a frame with stools. "Sit!" With no hesitation, we sat down at the nicely polished marble table, and he put down empty plates, mugs, and utensils for each one of us, except himself.

"Uh..." Luke managed to let out. "Are you going to make the food?"

The boy smiled with such dignity that it showed glimpses of moonlight shining through the tall windows. "I already did. These are special plates that will give you the food that you desire with a command."

Thirty seconds later we were a pack of wolves gorging down on our prey. I was eating my favorite pizza with extra olives (it's an Athena thing), and for the others, well, they finished in precisely a minute and forty-three seconds, which is not long enough to see what they were eating. (Don't ask me why I counted, I don't know)

"So now that you guys are good to go, I've been thinking to help you," The boy said, coming out of the hallway. He carried eight rings, and I suggested it was for each of us.

"Why?" I asked truthfully. "Why us and not others?"

"You guys," He pointed at each of us. "Are the first to travel across the whole country on foot. So I'm going to help you the rest of the way."

"How come you're helping us _now_?" Luke asked. "You could've helped us before-"

"You were fine before. But now you're in the _East_, things tend to get more dangerous," He replied. The boy sauntered over to the couch, put the rings down on a glass coffee table, and invited us over. Obliged with his kindness, I did so. "I know I should've introduced myself in the first place, but I will do so now. My name is Xavier."

"Are you a god?" Thalia asked immediately, sitting up straight, and showing an expression she has never shown before. But I could see that she had a crush on Xavier, too. And by the Expression on Luke's face, Luke didn't like it. "A demigod, like us? Or simply a mortal that can see through the Mist?" She laid back down on the back of the sofa cushion, thinking that as devil spawn.

"Neither, actually."

"_What_ did you say?" Luke sat upright, grabbing my knife from the sheath and prying it against Xavier's throat.

"Luke!" Thalia and I both said at the same time. We both blushed.

"We have a Titan on our hands, guys. Help me out here, Thalia." Luke ordered. Thalia held back from attacking. I knew she couldn't. And I couldn't have done it either. "Thalia?" Luke faced Thalia, then me. "Annabeth?" Luke gave a low growl and pressed the knife more into Xavier's throat. "You made them fall in love with you, didn't you? _DIDN'T YOU?!_" (Which was weird for Thalia, liking a guy that's 6 years younger than her.)

Xavier didn't look like he was being harmed. He was staying quite calm, in fact. He didn't smile, he didn't frown. There was no expression on his face whatsoever. He spoke normally, too, even though their was much pressure put on his throat, but Luke didn't notice any of that. "Luke, please, stop!" I cried. No ichor, the blood of immortals, came down.

And a blow that Luke took unexpectedly: "Luke Castellan, stop this instant. May wouldn't want her son to be a killer." Thalia and I looked at each other, then Xavier, then Luke. _May Castellan... Luke's mental mother..._

"How _dare_ you mention, her?" Luke shouted with anger and disgust. We visited her a while back, and she was crazy. May needed serious help, because she made so many PB and J sandwiches for Luke every single day, waiting for her son to come home. She tried to become the new Oracle Of Delphi, but she wasn't the one and it drove her mad, seeing her son's future. Which Luke said wasn't good. "I don't want to hear what you're going to say!"

"Okay," Xavier replied. "Then chop me up to pieces." Luke hesitated. He raised the knife, and thrusted it down, and Thalia and I winced, shutting our eyes automatically. We didn't hear anything, just breathing. When both of us opened our eyes, Luke was sitting back down, hanging his head. I took the dagger from his hand and softly put it back in my sheath. Xavier stood up and put a hand on Luke's shoulder. "I'm not going to harm any of you, I'm going to help you. I swear by the River Styx." Luke looked up at the boy and nodded. If you swear by the River Styx, and break the oath, you get a curse worse than death. (Which some of you already know)

Xavier took the rings from the coffee table and placed two down in our palms for each of us. "So," He began, putting on each ring on his ring fingers. "These rings are your protection. They are all armor with spikes that retract if needed. There are compartments to seal your weapons, and retract as well. Take this sword for example." Suddenly, a half silver and half celestial bronze sword appeared out of nowhere and was placed in Xavier's hand. All of us stared in awe. Luke was just staring at the sword. Typical, since he's always mourning for one. Xavier put his fists together like a puzzle, and what happened was that the rings were forming over Xavier's body, giving him sort of a Spartan kind of warrior armor made from celestial bronze. He put out his right forearm, which had a compartment sliding door. He slid the door open and carefully placed the sword inside. "This here is a sword which now has the ability to retract from the armor as pleased. Backbiter." The sword rushed out of the armor's sleeve, delivering a gleam of light. Once again, we were awestruck.

"I know how much you need a sword, Luke, so here. Backbiter." The sword retracted, and Xavier removed the sword from its place and handed it to Luke. Gingerly, Luke took the sword, and suddenly, leather wrapped around the sword, with a cord for wearing, forming a sheath. Luke's eyes reflected pure joy, and he stood up and held his hand out. Gladly, Xavier took it firmly.

"I'm sorry, dude," Luke promised. "I was just being cautious."

"It's alright. The blade wouldn't have hurt me anyway."

I suddenly realized something. This guy's name... He was named after the supreme ruler... Of well... Everything. The Supreme Ruler is more powerful than Chaos, the Titans, or the Olympians. It was kind of silly, since the myth is so old... And this dude is so young… And cute... Oh, sorry. Back to it. (Don't judge me, I was only 7.)

"I know what you're thinking, Annabeth, and you're right," Xavier suddenly spoke, and I jumped.

"What?!" I responded. That couldn't be. "Y-you're... Y-you're..." I stammered in shock. Thalia and Luke stared at me.

"Annabeth? What's wrong?" Thalia asked protectively. Shaking, I got up from my seat and kneeled down, bowing my head.

"Lord Xavier. My regards." I eyed Luke and Thalia, but they didn't get it. Xavier stared at me in disbelief. He went by my side, took my arm and helped me up. I could feel the warmth and power radiating through his body, and I just melted.

"Please, don't do that. I hate it when that happens," Xavier said, grimacing. Thalia and Luke stared at us, clueless.

"What's going on?" Luke asked anxiously.

Xavier sighed, plopping down on the couch. I tried not to blurt it out, and my cheeks turned red. Without the need to look at me, Xavier said, "Go ahead, Annabeth."

"Xavier's the Supreme Being!" I shouted in glee. I had a crush on the most powerful being in the whole existence of time. And the cutest. And that was the third time we were awestruck. A supreme being? Helping us? Just some three demigods on the run? It's a serious honor, trust me. And they believed me, and took it in very quickly. Then Xavier looked at the clock and back at us.

"You guys wash up and brush, okay? It's getting late, and we're moving on tomorrow morning. You best get some actual sleep." Xavier stood up and walked towards the doors. "Your doors are the one's with the first letter of you names. So, Annabeth and I share a room, and Luke and Thalia share one. The ones on the left are bathrooms, and the ones on the right are the bedrooms. Fresh beds, fresh clothes, all your size. Have a good night, guys." He went into the bedroom, waved, and left the door open.

Luke faced me and Thalia. "I'm gonna go unpack in our bedroom, and Thalia can use the washroom. Then we'll trade. Annabeth, are you okay sleeping in with Xavier? I mean, we just met him tonight, so..." I blushed, and I could see the envy in Thalia's eyes. (Which sort of looked like she wanted to make out with him or something, I don't know! He can control his age!)

"I'm fine, thank you. Good night, guys." I replied, beginning to walk to my room,

"G'night," Thalia and Luke both said, blushing. I knew they made a good couple. (I actually caught them making out once when they were on guard duty.) I went into the bedroom to get some spare clothes, and when I walked in, I saw Xavier sitting in a chair by the window, gazing at the stars.

"Are you okay?" I suddenly blurted out, covering my mouth. Xavier faced me and smiled, the moonlight reflected once more.

"Why, yes, I'm fine, thank you," He replied, standing up. "It's alright if there's one bed, right? Because I can make two, but that'll take most of the room. Or I could sleep on the floor if you'd like." I turned red immediately. _Is he serious right now?_

"No, no, no, it's fine... We can share a bed..." I gave a faint smile and scratched the back of my head. Putting down my rings and dagger, I opened one of the cabinets to see some nice, regular pajamas perfectly folded ready for me. I took the things I needed and headed out the door.

"Annabeth?" Xavier called after me.

"Yes?"

"Are you sure about sharing a room with me?"

"Of course!" I responded, blushing, _again_.

"Alright." I started going forward again. "Oh, and... um..."

I turned back to face him. "Yeah?"

"You look cute tonight." He said with a smile. I turned completely red this time. And so did he. Neither Luke, Thalia, or even my own father ever said that to me.

"T-t-thank you..." And I walked away quickly, opening and closing the bathroom door. The walls were painted as if really underwater, and the sink, toilet, bathtub, even the shower was decorated so beautifully. Giving a heavy breath, I set the clothes down, and I started taking off my own clothes, and set it in a basket for laundry. I got my hair tie out, and set it down on the countertop. I then decided to take a really good bath so I didn't stink while sleeping next to Xavier. After washing up real good, I wrapped myself in a towel, and blow-dried my hair. I put on some lotion, and put my clothes on. It felt so nice being in pajamas in such a great house. I then got a new packaged toothbrush from a cabinet, opened it and started brushing so clean, that in four minutes my yellowed teeth turned sparkly white. It was a pretty good toothbrush and toothpaste after all.

I walked back into the room to see Xavier in a t-shirt and plaid pajama pants, which was so... Oh my gods, I can't even describe it. He bowed like a gentleman and gestured me to the bed. Xavier pulled back the covers and let me in. Being right handed, I climbed towards the right side and laid down. The bed was absolutely Elysium for me. Considering not being in a bed for four years, I barely remembered what It was like to be in a real, comfortable bed. But it would be even more for Luke and Thalia, who've been running longer than me. Xavier climbed in from the left side, and moved the covers comfortably.

"Does it suit your taste?" Xavier asked politely, like always.

"Yes, thank you!" I spread my arms around the bed. "It's been forever since I've been in an actual bed."

He gave me his charming smile. "Good night, Annabeth."

"Good night, Xavier."

We both turned around to the outer side of the bed, and dozed off to sleep.

We were running for our lives. It had been 6 months traveling with Xavier, and we were so close to the entrance I could make out some of the words on the arch, "Camp Half-Blood". I'm dyslexic, so it was kind of weird looking at text normally. My dyslexia keeps me from reading actual text, I can only read in Ancient Greek. (You know that, too) We were running seriously fast with our armor on, just in case we get attacked by the Cyclopes right behind us. Thank the gods that the armor was lightweight, or else the spikes would've killed me. But that wasn't enough.

Suddenly, Thalia stopped and retracted her shield and spear. "Go! I can hold them off!"

"No, Thalia, you'll die!" Luke shouted.

Xavier, being the Supreme Lord, ran as fast as light and pulled Thalia away, but Thalia stayed. "Come on, Thalia, let's go!"

"No! I can let you guys go!"

"Thalia, stop being so stubborn and let's go!"

The giants were getting closer and closer as Xavier was trying to pull Thalia out of the way, but she remained. Then in a flash of red, the Cyclopes threw Thalia over our heads and we rushed to her side. But Xavier stayed in front of the Cyclopes, some how fending them off. Xavier rised into the air, with eyes as white as his was light circling around the Cyclopes, putting them into some kind of trance, and then the red, where the light turned into spikes of celestial bronze, piercing the skin. They crumbled to dust and Xavier came down and rushed to Thalia's side.

She was breathing real hard, and we feared she wouldn't make it. Xavier shushed her, and gave her what looked like a kiss, but he was just whispering into her ear. He put a hand on Thalia's heart, and it glowed a faint red. He picked up a nearby pinecone, broke it in half, and removed a seed. Removing his hand from the top of Thalia's heart, there was a ball of light and he put that light into the seed, and planting it right near the arch. "Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus is not dead, but now living as a tree. And this tree shall make a barrier, forbidding any threats to come in, and keep every creature in Camp Half-Blood safe from any harm."

The tree sprouted out immediately as a pine, and a blue shield around the camp, and we rushed in quickly before any other monsters came, so we didn't take any chances. And that was the dark days.

"Everybody up!" I woke up with a start. The cabin leader woke us up with a morning drill, and she came up to me. "This is from Chiron. He needs to see you in his office immediately." Okay, then? I got ready as fast as I could and arrived at his office in the Big House.

"Annabeth," Chiron said, in a hurry. "We must get to the entrance, the one's here!" He clopped toward the doorway and galloped toward the entrance. And I ran as fast as my little 11 year old legs could carry me.

I saw Grover, Xavier, and a guy that had fallen on the ground. He knocked down pretty good, and still conscious. "He's the one. He must be." I was referencing to the child of the prophecy. He looked like the one. He's the one who can let me finally go on a quest.

"Silence, Annabeth," Chiron said. "He's still conscious. Bring him inside."

It was an hour after he passed out. I snuck into the infirmary, where the nymphs and Apollo kids cared for the wounded warriors. I grabbed a bowl of pudding and a spoon and sat down next to the passed out guy. He was drooling like crazy. So I took the spoon, and smirked and scraped drool every time a droplet came down his chin. Once I saw his eyes fully open, I suddenly asked, "What will happen at the summer solstice?"

He managed to croak, "What?"

I looked around, seeing if someone would overhear. "What's going on? What was stolen? We've only got a few weeks!"

"I'm sorry," He mumbled. "I don't..."

Someone came in the room, and I stuffed his mouth with pudding. It was Xavier, and I ran towards him and got a hug. "Hey, Annabeth," He said, kissing my cheek. That was okay, since we were like brother and sister. But still, I had feelings for him. And I blushed every time. I was 11, and he was 13. _It's alright. He's not too old._ He stroked my curly blonde hair, and ran his fingers through it as well. "Still trying to get it out of him?"

"Yeah," I responded. "But he says he doesn't know."

Xavier looked deep into my stormy gray eyes. And I returned the favor to his dreamy, dark brown eyes. "He doesn't know, Annabeth. Don't rush it."

"Are you sure?" I asked desperately.

"I would never lie to you."

I smiled at him. "Yeah, I know. Now let's go train."

He held out his arm and I took it willingly. We walked out the doors and into the sword fighting arena.


	2. Chapter 2

Before I knew it, sword fighting practice was over. I had a couple of cuts and bruises, from you know who, but that didn't stop me from getting him back.

"Not bad, Wise Girl." Xavier has been calling me that since we met.

"Same to you, Emo Pain." I smirked, brushing his long bangs that covered his right eye to the side to see a shine in his eyes. Well, my cuts and bruises were gone, and Xavier took me to the front porch to get some nectar.

"I'll be right back with some nectar, 'Kay?" Xavier said. I nodded, and he kissed me on the cheek for a second time. "Love you." He left, and other kids started to make fun of us.

"Oh. My. Gods. Annabeth has a boyfriend!" The girls giggled in delight. I have them a deep growl, and a stare that'll knock down the Great Wall of China. They got the message.

"He's not my boyfriend. We're like brother and sister." I replied, keeping my tone as low as possible.

"Pfft..." Someone scoffed. "Yeah, right. I've seen you two look into each other's eyes once or twice, andthat's sibling love? Don't think so." I leaned back on the bench, sighing. Then, I spotted the guy and Grover coming towards the front porch.

They talked for a while, showing around, and they finally looked at me. Unfortunately, I still had that glare so I looked like a maniac.

Chiron and Mr. D were on the side of the porch and Chiron called me over. "Annabeth?" I came forward, by his side, and glanced at the boy and Grover.

"This young girl nursed you back to health, Percy. Annabeth, my dear, why don't you check on Percy's bunk? We'll be putting him in cabin eleven for now."

"Sure, Chiron," I replied.

This Percy guy was probably my age, maybe a couple inches shorter, and a whole lot more awkward looking. (Which was a little cute) With his mild tan and messy black hair, he sort of looked like a surfer from back home. Especially with his sea green eyes. They looked playful and childish, like they were going to chase you across a field forever.

I looked down at... What? A minotaur horn? And looked back at him. That reminded me of the infirmary, because it was there right next to him the whole time. For a guy who just got here and killed his first monster, not bad, but I've been through much worse.

He must of thought that I was going to say something like I was impressed by the look in his eyes, but no. Instead I said without any expression, "You drool in your sleep." I was cracking up so hard inside, and tried to keep it in so badly. It just came out of my mouth like a bullet.

To avoid any more trouble, I turned around, and spotted Xavier, trying to find me. So I ran off and sprinted down the lawn and into the fields, my curly blonde hair flying behind me.

Xavier spotted me and we came to each other. He handed me a vial of nectar, and he held his up. "Finally, to a quest!" We clinked our vials, and drank up. It tasted like my favorite pizza, with extra olives. He made them disappear, most likely back where they came from.

I wiped my mouth with my wrist. "Thanks," I said, the taste still tingling in my tastebuds.

Xavier gave a little smile, and gave a bow. "You're very welcome, m'lady."

I managed to give a little giggle. "I have to go check on Percy's bunk. Do you mind going with me?"

He nodded, and we both headed towards Cabin Eleven, Hermes. Out of all the cabins, Eleven looked the most like a regular old summer camp cabin, with the emphasis on old. The threshold was worn down, the brown paint peeling. Over the doorway was a caduceus, a winged pole with two snakes wrapped around it, a modern doctor symbol.

Xavier stood by the doorway, and knocked politely. A guy with salt-and-pepper hair turned around, and gave a crazy grin. He was none other than Luke. I blushed a little bit, and tried to keep it in. Unfortunately, it stayed.

"Hey, guys!" Luke said, giving a brofist to Xavier and a hug to me. "Checking on the new guy's bunk?"

"Yeah," Xavier replied, looking around. "You got any room left?"

Luke pointed to a tiny corner of the room. "That's pretty much our only part left. How old are they?"

"Eleven, about," I answered. Luke faced me, showing a smile that I always see on his face.

"Then they're good."

"We're coming back to introduce him to the campers and his part of the cabin, so, when will they be back?" I asked.

Luke thought for a moment, then answered, "Probably in a few minutes. Take your time." We started heading out the door. He waved, and we waved back.

We stopped by my cabin, Cabin Six, Athena, to get my favorite book that Xavier got for my birthday.Architectural Studies Throughout the Centuries: Ancient Greek Edition. Completely obvious. I went to my part of the cabin, got my keys, and unlocked the drawer that kept the book. It was for architectural experts, for building inspiration, so it costs thousands of dollars. I don't even know how Xavier got it for me. It comes easy for the gods, I guess.

We got back to Cabin Eleven, and leaned on the outside wall. Together, Xavier and I talked about how this would be improved even more in the future if we built it ourselves.

"Annabeth, I'm going to in and check on everybody, okay?" I nodded and he kissed me on the cheek, then going inside the cabin.

I stopped reading when Percy came along, right beside Chiron. When they reached me, I looked at Percy critically, still thinking about how much he drooled.

"Annabeth, I have masters' archery class at noon. Would you take Percy from here?" Chiron asked.

"Yes, sir," I responded.

"Cabin Eleven," Chiron told Percy, gesturing toward the doorway. "Make yourself at home."

Now, inside was packed with people, both boys and girls, way more than the number of bunk beds. Sleeping bags were spread all over the floor. Chiron didn't go in. The door was too low for him. But when the campers saw him, they stood up and bowed respectfully. And I took notice of Xavier and Luke, bowing as well.

"Well then," Chiron said. "Good luck, Percy. I'll see you all at dinner." He nodded to all of us, and galloped away to the archery range.

Percy stood at the doorway, looking at the campers. They weren't bowing anymore. They were staring at him, sizing him up. "Well?" I prompted. "Go on." He naturally tripped going into the door, making a total fool of himself. There were some snickers, but no one said anything. "Percy Jackson," I announced. "Meet Cabin Eleven."

"Regular or undetermined?" Someone asked.

Xavier got up and answered for me. "Undetermined." The campers looked at him and groaned. "Come on, guys! Give this guy a break, he lost his mother by fighting a Minotaur getting here." I looked at Xavier, his face serious, then at Percy, as if he was wincing like a puppy.

"Okay, guys, that's what we're here for." Luke came forward with a smile spread across his face. I blushed, looking at both of them. They looked pretty hot when serious. "Welcome, Percy. You can have that spot on the floor, right over there." He pointed to the corner where he showed me and Xavier before.

Xavier came up next to Luke and put his hands in his pockets. they were exactly the same height, and both were slim but muscular. Gods… Please stop looking so cute...

"This is Luke," I said, my voice changed a little. I held a hand towards Luke, then Xavier. "And this is Xavier." Percy glanced at me and I could have sworn he saw me blushing. My face was pretty red. When I noticed him, my expression hardened again. "Luke's your counselor for now."

"For now?" Percy asked.

"You're undetermined," Luke explained patiently. "They don't know what Cabin to put you in, so you're here."

"Cabin Eleven takes in all newcomers, all visitors," Xavier chimed in, this time grinning. "Naturally, they would. Hermes is their patron, the god of travelers."

Percy looked at his spot in the cabin, and he had no supplies it mark his area down. He looked at the campers, which were doing their Hermes thing, where they all wanted to pick someone's pockets. "How long will I be here?"

"Good question," Luke said. "Until you're determined."

"How long will that take?" Percy asked. The campers all laughed. Ugh! How stupid can he be?!

"Come on," I told him. "I'll show you the volleyball court. Xavier? Come with me, please." Xavier nodded, and came forward to follow me.

"I've already seen it."

"Come on," I clenched my teeth and grabbed his wrist, dragging him outside. I could hear the campers laugh behind us. Xavier closed the doors. When we were a few feet away, I said, "Jackson, you've have to do better than that."

"What?" Oh my gods, he's hopeless!

I rolled my eyes and mumbled under my breath, "I can't believe you were the one..."

"Annabeth!" Xavier snapped, looking at me fiercely.

"What's your problem?!" Percy said, getting angry. "All I know is, I killed some bull guy-"

"Don't talk like that!" I told him. "You know how many kids at this camp wish they'd had your chance?"

"To get killed?"

"To fight the Minotaur! What do you think we train for?!" I shouted back.

Xavier stormed in between us. "Both of you, stop it! You're both acting like toddlers, here!"

With an attitude, Percy smirked and turned around. "I don't take orders." Oh, no. No, no, no, no. He's doomed.

I tried to hold Xavier back. "How dare you!" He roared. I let go of him, which was the worst thing to do at a time like this. His eyes raged with real fire. Then his hair burned, sticking straight up to form a mohawk. Finally, his whole body caught fire, spreading from his hair to his toes. You could say that he looked like a Super Saiyan or something, I don't know. Percy turned back around and squeal like a little guinea pig. (cough, cough. We'll get to that later) "Oh, look, here comes little Persassy sassing up the guy who made the universe in the first place!" (And that, fangirls/fanboys, is how Persassy was born! slow clap)

Knowing that the fire was only a warning and could not hurt me, I ran up to Xavier and hugged him tight. He suddenly stopped burning, his hair in his normal place, and he fell to the floor. "I'm sorry," he whispered, and disappeared into nothingness.

Panting, Percy stammered, "W-wh-what… W-what was that?" I rolled my eyes and put a hand on his shoulder. He was still shaking. "S-so… L-look, if that thing really was the Minotaur, the same one from the stories-"

"Yes," I interrupted.

"Then there's only one."

"Yes," I said once more.

"But he died, like, a gajillion years ago, right? Theseus killed him in the Labyrinth, so..."

"Monsters don't die, Percy. They can be killed, but they don't die."

"Okay, that pretty much clears it up," He said sarcastically.

I sighed. "They don't have souls, like you and me. They can dispel for a while, maybe even a whole lifetime if you're lucky. They are primal forces. Chiron calls them archetypes. Eventually, they reform."

"You mean if I killed them, accidentally, with a sword-" he began.

"The Fur… Yes, your math teacher. That's right. She's still out there. You just made her very, very mad." I finished.

He raised his eyebrows. "How'd you know about Ms. Dodds?"

"You talk in your sleep."

"You almost called her something. A Fury? They're Hades' torturers, right?"

I glanced nervously at the ground, cautious if there was any monsters coming out. "You shouldn't call them by name, even here. We call them the Kindly Ones, if we ever have to speak of them at all."

"Look, is there anything we can say without it thundering?" Percy whined. "Why do I have to stay in Cabin Eleven, anyway? Why is everybody so crowded together? There are plenty of other bunks over there." He pointed to some cabins, and I turned pale.

"You don't just choose a cabin, Percy. It depends who your parents are. Or… Parent..." I stared at him, waiting for him to get it.

"My mom is Sally Jackson. She works at a candy store at Grand Central Station. Or at least, she used to."

I sighed, feeling bad for the guy. "I'm sorry about your mom, Percy, but that's not what I mean. I'm talking about your other parent. Your dad."

"He's dead. I never knew him." I sighed once more. Having to explain this to a bunch of other kids was really bumming me out.

"Your father's not dead, Percy," I told him.

"How can you say that? You know him?"

"No, of course not."

"Then how could you say-"

"Because I know you. You wouldn't be here if you weren't one of us."

"You don't know anything about me."

"No?" I raised an eyebrow. "I bet you moved around from school to school. I bet you were kicked out of a lot of them."

"How-"

"Diagnosed with dyslexia. Probably ADHD, too."

Percy tried to swallow his embarrassment. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Taken together, it's almost a sure sign. The letters float off the page when you read, right? That's because your mind is hardwired for ancient Greek. And your ADHD- you're impulsive, you can't sit still in the classroom. That's your battlefield reflexes. In a real fight, they'd keep you alive," I told him, exactly how I said it to other kids as curious as him. "As for the attention problems, you see too much, Percy, not too little. Your senses are better than a regular mortal's. Of course the teachers want you medicated. Most of them are monsters. They don't want you seeing what they are."

Astonished, he asked, "You sound like… you went through the same thing?"

"Most of the kids here have," I answered. "If you weren't like us, you would have survived the Minotaur, much less the ambrosia and nectar."

"Ambrosia and nectar?" Percy asked.

"The food and drink we were giving you to help you get better. That stuff would've killed a normal kid. It would've turned your blood into fire and your bones to sand and you'd be dead. Face it. You're a half-blood."

He thought about it. "So, uh, who was that guy who caught on fire earlier? Your boyfriend?" And that broke me.

"Why do people keep on saying that?! He's like a brother to me!" I screamed, my face turning as red as the fire on Xavier's body was earlier. Percy flinched, backing away, his arms raised in surrender.

"I'm sorry, okay? It's just that every time you look into each other's eyes you guys start blushing and stuff. And besides, how did that guy catch on fire?"

I sighed, and said, "He's the Supreme Lord of Everything."

Percy laughed. "Good one."

I gave him a deadly glare. "I'm not kidding."

He stared at me for the longest time. "Your boyfriend can do anything in the world?"

"Ugh!" I slapped myself in the face. Will this get any worse?

A husky voice shouted, "Well! A newbie!"

Oh, schist, I jinxed it… It was none other than Clarisse LaRue.


	3. Chapter 3

Percy looked behind him. Clarisse, from Cabin Five, Ares, sauntered toward us, with three girls behind her, big, ugly, and mean like her, all wearing camo jackets.

"Clarisse," I sighed. "Go polish your spear or something."

"Sure, Miss Princess," Clarisse sneered, giving me attitude as worse than Percy. "So I can run you through with it Friday night."

"_Erre es korakas!_" I cursed at her, meaning _Go to the crows!_ in Greek. It was a worse curse than it actually sounded. "You won't stand a chance."

"We'll pulverize you." Clarisse said, but her eye twitched. She wasn't so sure she could follow through the threat. I mean, they've lost to my team so many times. She turned towards Percy. "Who's this little runt?"

"Percy Jackson," I introduced. "Meet Clarisse, daughter of Ares."

Percy blinked. "Like… the war god?"

Clarisse sneered once more. "You got a problem with that?"

"No," He said, recovering his wits. "That explains the bad smell."

Clarisse growled. "We got an initiation ceremony for newbies, Prissy."

"Percy," He corrected.

"Whatever. Come on, I'll show you."

"Clarisse-" I tried to say, but she interrupted me.

"Stay out of it, Wise Girl." Clarisse told me. I flinched. Only Xavier called me that. _Connor and Travis… I'll get my hands on those two… _"Go get back to your boyfriend. I'll deal with this one." I looked pained, and I did stay out of it. After Clarisse came into Camp, all the new campers got the facewash. Lucky me, because I got here right before Clarisse. Percy handed me the Minotaur horn, as if he was ready to fight. But he got dragged to the bathroom anyway.

I stood at the corner, and watched through my fingers. I couldn't hear anything, because of Clarisse's goons jeering at Percy. Then, all of a sudden, the plumbing started rumbling, the pipes shuddering. Clarisse then was shot straight out of the stall by a stream of water, and Percy came out of it. Her friends came by her to help her, but other jets of water blasted them in the face.

Xavier suddenly appeared in front of me, getting me out of the bathroom as far as possible, but close enough to see what was going on. The showers started rushing out water, pushing the camouflage girls straight out of the bathroom. And suddenly, another stream came right towards me and Xavier, but he covered me and got wet himself. The water shut off as quickly as it started. Then he magically got all of the water on his body to disappear. "Thanks," I told him.

"No problem," He replied. Xavier, somehow, always smelled like your favorite thing. Mine, fresh paper. Other girls say it's something else, but that's their thing. He was always going to save me in the worst possible events. He swore by the River Styx to protect me, and somehow, my mother, Athena, had no problem with that. Every girl in camp liked him. Gentle, funny, handsome, charming, he was the best person you could possibly think of. You need help, he's there.

Percy came forward to us, shaking a little bit. Maybe because Xavier was right there, or that was how he reacted to what just happened. Xavier put his hand out. "I'm sorry about what happened earlier, Percy. Let me make it up to you, okay? Anything you need." Still shaking, Percy slowly took Xavier's hand and shook it. The entire bathroom behind Percy was flooded. _There goes our water bills._

"How'd you-" I started.

"I don't know," Percy replied to the question I barely even asked. He was barely even wet.

Clarisse and her friends were in mud, and a bunch of other campers gathered around to gawk. Her hair was flattened on her face, clothes sopping wet. She smelling strongly of sewage. "You are dead, new boy. You are totally dead."

He should have let it go, but then he asked, "You want to gargle with toilet water again, Clarisse? Close your mouth." Her friends had to hold her back. They dragged her towards Cabin Five, campers making way to avoid Clarisse's flailing feet. After Clarisse and her goons were gone, the campers all stared at us. Percy looked at them, their eyes following towards us. A most of the campers snickered. We looked at Percy with an expression that asked _What is it?_ He nodded towards our bodies.

Xavier and I were still clinging onto each other, holding hands. Quickly, we tore off from each other, looked at the ground and blushed. The campers went away immediately, not really fazed about Percy and the bathroom, but about me and Xavier. I heard most of the campers say our names. After they left, Xavier and I turned to Percy at the same time, and we stared at him.

"What?" Percy demanded. "What are you thinking?"

Xavier and I both looked at each other at the exact same time, then at Percy. And back to us. We nodded. "We think," We began in sync. "That we want you on our team for Capture the Flag."

Word of the bathroom incident spread almost as immediately as the news about Xavier and I clinging on to each other. Wherever Percy, Xavier, or I went, they always murmured about toilet water, our names, or just plain staring at us. Xavier and I showed a couple other places: the metal shop (Hephaestus kids forge, basically), the arts-and-crafts room (where satyrs were sandblasting a giant marble statue of Pan, the god of nature), the climbing wall, which actually consisted of two facing walls that shook violently, dropped boulders, sprayed lava, and clashed together if you didn't get to the top fast enough.

Finally we returned to the canoeing lake, where the trail led back to the cabins. "Xavier and I have got some, uh, _cleaning_ to do," I lied flatly to Percy. "Dinner's at seven-thirty. Just follow your cabin to the mess hall."

'"Guys, I'm sorry about the toilets," Percy told us.

"Whatever," I responded.

"It wasn't my fault."

I stared at him skeptically. He just made water shoot out of the bathroom fixtures. No one understood how. Maybe Xavier, Chiron, or even Mr. D. "You need to talk to the Oracle," Xavier told Percy.

"Who?" Percy bluntly responded.

"Not who. What. We'll ask Chiron," Xavier said.

Percy looked into the lake, and I recognized two naiads waving at him. He waved back, and I warned, "Don't encourage them. Naiads are terrible flirts."

"Naiads," He repeated, feeling completely overwhelmed. "That's it. I want to go home. _Now._"

I frowned and said, "Don't you get it, Percy? You _are_ home. This is the only safe place on earth for kids like us."

"You mean, mentally disturbed kids?"

"She means _not human_," Xavier told him. "Not totally human, anyway. Half-human."

"Half-human and half-what?" Percy asked again.

"I think you know," I replied.

There was a long pause. "God," Percy finally said. "Half-god."

Xavier and I nodded. "You're father isn't dead, Percy," Xavier said, putting both hands on the back of his head, stretching. "He's one of the Olympians."

"That's… crazy."

"Is it?" I asked. "What's the most common thing gods did in the old stories? They ran around falling in love with humans and having kids with them. Do you think they've changed their habits in the last few millennia?"

"But those are just-" I could have sworn Percy was about to say _myths_. In two thousand years, all of us might be considered a myth. "But if all the kids here are half-gods-"

"Demigods," Xavier interrupted. "That's the official term. Or half-bloods."

Percy turned to me. "Then who's your dad?"

My hands tightened around the pier railing, and Xavier put a hand on my shoulder. I was very sensitive on the past. "My dad is a professor at West Point. I haven't seen him since I was very small. He teaches American History."

"He's human," Percy said.

"What? You assume it has to be a male god who finds a human female attractive? How sexist is that?"

"Who's your mom, then?"

"Cabin Six."

"Meaning?"

I straightened. "Athena. Goddess of wisdom and battle."

"Undetermined," Xavier said. "Like we told you before."

"Except my mother. She knew."

"Maybe not, Percy," I said. "Gods don't always show their identities."

"My dad would've." Percy responded. "He loved her."

I gave him a cautious look. I mean, I didn't want him to break. "Maybe you're right. Maybe he'll send a sign, claiming you as his son. That's the only way we'll know for sure. Sometimes it happens."

"You mean sometimes it doesn't?"

I ran my palms along the rail. "The gods are busy," Xavier said. "They have lots of kids and they don't always… Sometimes they don't care about you guys, Percy. They ignore you."

"So I'm stuck here? That's it? For the rest of my life?" Percy exclaimed.

"It depends," I said. "Some campers only stay the summer. If you're a child of Aphrodite or Demeter, you're probably not a real powerful force. The monsters might ignore you, so you can get by with a few months of summer training and live in the mortal world the rest of the year. But for some of us, it's too dangerous to leave. We're year-rounders. In the mortal world, we attract monsters. They sense us. They come to challenge us. Most of the time, they'll ignore us until we're old enough to cause trouble- about ten to twelve years old, but after that, most demigods either make their way here, or they get killed off. A few manage to survive in the outside world and become famous. Believe me, if I t9old you the names, you'd know them. Some don't even realize they're demigods. But very, very few are like that."

"So monsters can't get in here?"

Xavier and I shook our heads. "Not unless they're intentionally stocked in the woods or specially summoned by somebody on the inside," Xavier responded.

"Why would anybody want to summon a monster?"

"Practice fights," I said.

"Practical jokes," Xavier then said.

"Practical jokes?" Percy repeated.

"The point is," I began, avoiding further explanation. "The borders are sealed to keep mortals and monsters out. From the outside, mortals look into the valley and see nothing unusual, just a strawberry farm."

Percy turned to me once more. "So… You're a year-rounder?"

I nodded, and Xavier and I show our five clay beads of different colors. Mine had the two rings Xavier gave me strung on it.

"I've been here since this camp was made," Xavier said. "And Annabeth, she was seven. Every August, on the last day of summer session, you get a bead for surviving another year. Annabeth was the youngest person to ever get to Camp for her age, and she's been here longer than most of the counselors, and they're all in college."

"Why'd you come so young?" Percy asked me.

I twisted the rings on my necklace. "None of your business."

Xavier gave me a look. "Annabeth..."

"Sorry," I said.

"Oh." Percy stood there in uncomfortable silence. "So... I could just walk out of here right now if I wanted to?"

"It would be suicide," I replied. "But you could, with Mr. D's and Chiron's permission. But they wouldn't give permission until the end of the summer unless..." I stopped.

"Unless?"

"You were granted a quest," Xavier answered for me. "But that hardly ever happens. The last time..." His voice trailed off, he and I remembering the last time demigods went on a quest, two years ago to the Garden of Hesperides. It included Luke, and it went sour. One of the demigods didn't return. And when we received a message saying they were gone, and the explanation, it was sad. Just sad. Their half-siblings mourned for them, especially their girlfriend. Gods, don't even get me started on the details.

"Back in the sick room," Percy said. "When you were feeding me that stuff-"

"Ambrosia," I corrected.

"Yeah. You asked me something about the summer solstice."

My shoulders tensed. "So you _do_ know something?"

Xavier looked at me. "Annabeth, I told you he doesn't know anything about it."

"Exactly." Percy agreed, sighing. "Back at my old school, I overheard Grover and Chiron talk about it. Grover mentioned the summer solstice, and said something like we didn't have much time, because of the deadline. Do you guys know what that means?"

I clenched my fists. "I wish I knew. Chiron, the satyrs, and Xavier know, but they won't tell me, or anyone else." Percy and I looked and Xavier desperately.

"I'm sorry guys, I can't. I know too much. It's up to you guys to find out. Something's wrong in Olympus, something pretty major, and that's all I'm telling you. Last time, when the some of the year-rounders visited Olympus, everything seemed so _normal_."

Percy faced me in awe. "You've been to _Olympus_?"

"Some of us year-rounders and a god- Xavier, Luke, Clarisse, a few others and I- we took a field trip during the winter solstice. That's when the gods have their big annual council," I replied.

"But... How'd you get there?"

"Xavier transported us. Otherwise, we'd take the Long Island Railroad. You get off at Penn Station. Empire State Building, special elevator to the sixth hundredth floor." I stared at him like I was sure he must have known this already. "You _are_ a New Yorker, right?"

"Oh, sure." As far as mortals knew, the Empire State Building only had a hundred and two floors, but the location of Olympus proved them wrong.

"Right after we visited," Xavier continued, "The weather got weird, as if the gods had started fighting. A couple times since, Annabeth's overheard satyrs talking. The best she can figure out is that something important was stolen. And if it isn't returned by the summer solstice, there's going to be trouble. When you came, she was hoping... Well, Athena can get along with anybody, except Ares. And she has that rivalry with Poseidon. But, I mean, aside from that, she thought you two can work thought you might've known something that _you_ could tell her, and not me. And I've told her many times, that I can't explain. But she's a little too stubborn for that. She tries to find any possible way to get what she wants, and I love that about her. She doesn't give up." He smiled at me, and Percy stared at us while we were blushing.

"But still," I repeated. "I've got to get a quest. I'm _not _too young. If they would just tell me the problem..."

All of us smelled barbecue smoke coming from the mess hall. I heard Percy's stomach growl, and we told him to go on, and we'll catch him later. Xavier gave a light breath that sounded like a laugh.

"That kid's cute," He said, and I stared at him in disbelief and confusion.

"W-wha? Yo-you have a thing? With-" Xavier looked at me with raised eyebrows.

"Annabeth, why would you think that I'm gay? Or bisexual? What kind of silly question is that? We've known each other for 4 years, I would've told you by then." He was right. Xavier tells me everything he can.

"I'm- I'm sorry," I apologized, still stammering. It was very foolish of me to think that. _Guess I'm not so wise anymore._ I sighed, brushing my curly bangs to the top of my head. "I'm going to go wash up."

"As will I."

I gave a faint smile. "Okay."

We started heading on our way to the bathroom, still flooded. And somewhere in the middle of the path, Xavier stopped. "Annabeth?" He asked.

I turned back to look at him. "Yeah?"

An apple appeared in his hand, he threw it to me and I caught it. "Hungry?"

I examined the apple, looking for any marks, but it seemed fine. "Thanks." And it wasn't like Snow White, I promise you. I bit into it, and my tastebuds got tons of flowing sweet, delicious juice from the apple. "Oh my gods, this is delicious. What kind is it?"

"ABC," He replied, with a grin that could've knocked me off my feet. "I did some experimenting with some of the sweetest apples in the world to make this prototype. You like it?"

"Yeah, I love it!" I replied, pausing. "Uh, what does ABC stand for?"

"Anna-Beth-Chase."

I was so flattered that my eye was twitching. "And, uh, also, I'm standing right in front of you. Why'd you throw it when you could've just handed it to me?"

Xavier gave me a smirk. "Future reference." He kept going on forward, past me, while I stayed there, still flattered. Xavier looked back at me. "Aren't you coming?"

Still not fully functional, I responded, "Oh, sorry, what?" I tried to process his words. "Oh, yeah, let's go." I caught up to him and wondered, _What was the meaning of that?_ I was only to learn what it meant years later, missing my chance to respond back to him.


	4. Chapter 4

As soon as we finished washing up, and headed back to the Athena cabin, the conch shell blew in the distance, telling the campers, nymphs, and satyrs that it was dinnertime.

The counselor of our cabin yelled, "Six, fall in!"

The whole cabin filed to the commons yard. We lined up in order of seniority, but Xavier stood next to me, not in line, for being one of the teachers and campers at the same time. Campers came from the others cabins, too, except of the Big Three's, and Artemis's cabin, which was starting to glow silver as the sun went down.

We marched up to the mess hall pavilion. Satyrs joined us from the meadow. Naiads emerged from the canoeing lake. Many girls, dryads, melted from sides of trees in the woods, and came skipping up the hill.

In all, there were at least a hundred campers, a few dozen satyrs, and a dozen assorted dryads and naiads.

At the pavilion, torches blazed around marble columns. A hearth burned in a bronze brazier the size of a bathtub. Each cabin had its own table that we were assigned to sit in, covered in white cloth trimmed in purple. Four tables were empty, but Cabin Elven was too overcrowded, and should of used those tables. But that would be disrespectful to the gods who owned those tables. I saw Percy have to squeeze onto the edge of a bench with half his butt hanging off, and I gave a little snicker.

I sat down at table six, with XAvier and my half siblings, a bunch of serious-looking athletic kids, who had the same gray eyes, and honey-blonde hair. After a little while, Chiron pounded his hoof against the marble floor, everybody fell silent. He raised a glass. "To the gods!"

Everybody else raised their glasses and repeated, "To the gods!"

No longer had the dryads had to give plattered food to the campers, because Xavier made some plates the Arts-and-Crafts area while doing pottery, made the same way the glasses did. Speak to it, and whatever you want appears on your plate. The dryads were fine with that, because they were sort of getting sick of serving the campers, especially the satyrs, who eat _everything._

I looked down at my plate. "Ravioli with tomato sauce topped with parmesan cheese." Appeared on my plate was exactly that. I faced my glass, and said, "Orange juice." I took a cautious sip. _Gods, I love Camp. _I looked at Xavier, and gave a sly smile. Xavier was thinking for a bit, and he didn't know what to order.

"I got it!" He finally said. "Curry rice and pork cutlet." The plate filled with delicious food that smelled _amazing_. "Chrysanthemum tea with boba." What filled his glass was a light yellow liquid with little tapioca pearls. The look of his entree was just...

"Hey, Annabeth?"

"Yeah?"

"You're drooling."

I looked at Xavier with wide eyes and quickly wiped my mouth with a nearby napkin. He gave me his charming laugh. I blushed and every. Single. Camper. Stared at us. Even the nymphs and satyrs. I looked around and even Chiron and Mr. D saw us. Both of us looked into our food, and everyone was still staring at us as if they wanted us to kiss.

"Now, now," Chiron said to everyone. "Everyone just eat." And silently, they did, but some remained staring at us, either snickering or giggling. I put my fork in my ravioli and raised it to my mouth, biting into it.

Xavier poked me three times on my right arm. I looked at him and he leaned over towards me. I moved the other way, trying to avoid him. He raised an eyebrow, and leaned towards my ear, and I shut my eyelids immediately. But he just whispered in it. "What's their deal with shipping us? You're pretty young for me. And you're like my sister." _Oh my gods, finally someone agrees with my point… Wait, did you just say I'm too young for you?!_

Xavier began eating, and I started to drool once more. I haven't had that meal before. I stared at it like a madman. He noticed this, and asked, "You want to try some? It's a pretty big meal."

I shook my head. "No, no, no, it's fine. Just go ahead and eat. I'm good." But I was _dying_ to eat some. He rolled his eyes and took a bite, my eyes following his spoon going in and out of his mouth. Xavier looked back at me, snapped his fingers and pointed his finger at my face.

"I knew it. Just help yourself." He pushed the plate towards me. Struggling to hold back, I picked up my spoon and put it in my mouth. The spice and vegetables of the curry went all across my taste buds and there was an explosion in my head. I cut a piece of the pork cutlet and it was just as excellent. It was juicy, the outsides fried with bread crumbs.

"That is awesome. How'd you know-" It was a silly question to ask, considering he was Asian. Or just took form of one.

"I used to make it at home," Xavier responded, smiling. Then, all of a sudden, he lifted his head and stared at the campers, who were staring at us again. "Seriously, guys?!" He shouted.

They all laughed, and went back to eating. No one would mess with him, considering he's a god. Or something. There's no term.

A person suddenly said, "There's someone at the entrance. At the foot of the hill."

Everyone started murmuring and getting up to look and see. The person was in a hoodie, wearing sneakers. Chiron clopped over to see what the commotion was about. The person seemed to be carrying something, and they looked like they were jamming with music. Xavier stood up, eyes wide, and rushed towards person, hugging them. Their hood dropped, and the person was a girl. A beautiful girl, even prettier than the Aphrodite girls, who were pouting and looking at the ground.

She looked familiarly like Xavier. Xavier, his back to the crowd, and he leaned over towards the girl. In what looked like a kiss. A full blown one. I didn't have any words. I stood. And left.

* * *

><p>I laid in my bed, crying endlessly. He... He has a girlfriend... He never told me. Xavier usually told me everything that he could, but... this. I loved him. Why the Fates torture me like this? What's going on with my life? Every time I look into his eyes, I see a spark of fire, jumping around. Whenever he hugs me, I am surrounded with warmth.<p>

I then heard the cabin door open, and I covered myself with my blanket, with the hope that they wouldn't see me. As some footsteps came closer, and I buried my head in my pillow, gripping it tightly. The person was right next to my bed, they sat down and sighed. Then I heard a baby sound, which made my eye twitch. What was that?

A familiar voice asked, "Annabeth, are you alright?" Of course that familiar voice was Xavier. (Who else could it be? Michael Jackson?

"Can..." I began, letting another tear go down my face. "Can I just be alone for a moment?"

"Don't be so stubborn, Annabeth. I know."

I sniffled, took off the blanket, and sat up, but my head turned. "What? That you have a girlfriend that you never told me about?! How do I trust you anymore?!"

Xavier gave me a look of great shock. "Annabeth..." He put a hand on my shoulder.

I moved away quickly. "Get away from me!" I shouted. Then I heard a whimper that quickly turned into a humongous cry. I covered my ears, trying to shield my ears from the deafening sound. "What-" I turned around to see a little baby in the arms of Xavier. By sight of me, the baby silenced and smiled.

"Isn't she beautiful?" Xavier asked, waving his finger in front of the baby. He looked at me with the spark. "Reminds me of you."

I stared at him. Just plain staring. And I was completely red, redder than any other times. My mouth gaped open. "But you have-"

"Annabeth, that was a nymph. A wood nymph. She found this baby lying on the ground, and trusted me with her. You're kidding me, right? That you think that I have a girlfriend?"

I was speechless. I am the daughter of Athena, and it's never wise to skip to conclusions. Was I supposed to bring shame to my family name? "I-"

"Shut up." And with that, he leaned in closer to me and put his lips on mine. My eyes went open completely, shock placed on my face. What?

The baby cooed in delight, as if she wanted us to kiss. She sort of resembled Xavier, for some unknown reason. Xavier removed his lips from mine and stood up, carrying the baby.

"I'm going to go back to the pavilion. You going to come with?" He held out his hand.

I smiled, took his hand and said, "Of course." We walked out of the cabin, into the dining pavilion to only see all of the campers clapping. The only person who wasn't was Percy Jackson.


End file.
